Tag: Clemson running backs

Shipley has career day on the ground despite historic loss

Despite Clemson coming away with its first loss to South Carolina since 2013 and first loss in Death Valley since 2016, Clemson’s Will Shipley came away with his own piece of history. The running back led the way with 15 carries for 132 yards and …

Despite Clemson coming away with its first loss to South Carolina since 2013 and first loss in Death Valley since 2016, Clemson’s Will Shipley came away with his own piece of history.

The running back led the way with 15 carries for 132 yards and one touchdown while quarterback DJ Uiagalelei, Phil Mafah, Kobe Pace and Antonio Williams all followed suit contributing a combined 22 carries for 105 yards and one touchdown.

With his performance against South Carolina, Shipley has now recorded over 1,000 rushing yards this season, becoming the 23rd Tiger to do so.

The sophomore also recorded his 14th rushing touchdown of the 2022 season, moving into the Top 10 in Clemson history for rushing touchdowns in a single season.

Shipley joins elite company in an already existing four-way tie for No. 7 in Clemson history with Fred Cone (1950), Cliff Austin (1982), Emory Smith (1995) and Travis Etienne (2020), all with 14 rushing touchdowns in a single season.

Don’t miss Cyber Week Deals at Dear Old Clemson’s online store.  Deals will run through midnight Monday. 

  • Footballs signed by the Clemson 2022 class discounted by 30%.
  • Free Avengers unsigned poster with the purchase of a signed Avengers football
  • Free signed Myles Murphy 8 by 10 picture with the purchase of Myles Murphy signed card
  • Free 2022 class unsigned poster with purchase of signed Avengers poster
  • Free #Team 4 unsigned poster with purchase of any signed softball
  • Free unsigned Valerie Cagle card with purchase of any signed softball poster
  • Free unsigned Bakich to Omaha poster with purchase of any signed baseball

Do your part to help support Clemson student-athletes!

Mafah, Shipley push each other to reach that ‘running back standard’

After rushing for a career-high 94 yards vs. then-No. 14 Syracuse on Saturday, Clemson’s Phil Mafah spoke to the media on Monday about how the relationship between him and fellow running back Will Shipley has allowed him to grow and become a better …

After rushing for a career-high 94 yards vs. then-No. 14 Syracuse on Saturday, Clemson’s Phil Mafah spoke to the media on Monday about how the relationship between him and fellow running back Will Shipley has allowed him to grow and become a better version of himself.

“My relationship with Will, honestly he’s like a brother to me,” he said. “We push each other all the time on and off the field to do better, get better, and that’s what I love about our relationship, it’s constructive. I really feel like I have definitely gotten better because of him and vice versa. Our relationship is going to last forever.”

It’s the camaraderie, the friendship and the respect they have for one another that has contributed to the success of Clemson’s run game this season. This was more evident than ever in the 27-21 win over Syracuse, where for a period in the third quarter, Clemson relied heavily on the running backs to move the ball downfield. Mafah described how him and Shipley remind each other of that Clemson “running back standard.”

“If one of us is having an off day, we’ll remind one another of the standard, of the running back standard,” he said. “We will remind each other what our goals are, what our aspirations are and keep each other accountable in that way.”

With 283 rushing yards this season so far, Mafah discussed momentum and how getting into a groove during the game is key for him to play at his best.

“I feel like for running backs, especially, once you get into the swings of things in game, you start to see things differently, you start to see things faster,” he said. “I have had this conversation with Will a lot. When you’ve been through it already, you can just tell, it’s just a feeling you get after all that repetition in game.”

Even with a career-best rushing day for Mafah, much of the attention and accolades following the game went to Shipley, who repeated as ACC Running Back of the Week after also having a career-best day with 172 rushing yards and 242 all-purpose yards.

This is not something Mafah thinks twice about. The running back believes that their relationship is built on respect and the desire for each other to grow, so he encourages all praise that comes Shipley’s way.

“That’s not frustrating to me,” he said. “I just feel like that’s God blessing him and I feel like God’s blessing me too also from him doing good. I believe that he deserves whatever comes to him, whatever people want to say to him, he deserves all the praise he gets. I never wish people would show him less and more of it to me, more attention to me. He deserves all of it.”

The close relationship between these two running backs exemplifies the culture of this Clemson team, which is all about effort and playing as a team. Mafah takes Shipley’s success in stride, knowing he is finding his form and becoming the best Phil Mafah he can be out there on the field.

Former Tiger signed by Kansas City Chiefs

Congrats to the former Clemson great who got another shot at playing at the next level.

A former Clemson Tiger is getting another shot at playing at the next level.

Former Clemson running back Wayne Gallman was signed to the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad on Wednesday. Gallman, who played with the Tigers for three seasons (2014-16), most recently played with the Minnesota Vikings (two games) and Atlanta Falcons (six games) back in 2021.

The Georgia native was drafted by the New York Giants in the fourth round (No, 140 overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft and played four seasons (2017-20) in New York. Through 61 NFL game appearances (14 starts), Gallman has garnered 366 carries for 1,548 yards and nine rushing touchdowns along with 81 receptions for 519 yards and two touchdown receptions.

In his time at Clemson, Gallman became one of the Tigers most decorated running backs, recording 3,429 rushing yards on 676 carries for 34 touchdowns over the course of 42 games (37 starts). Gallman finished his career third overall in Clemson history in rushing touchdowns and fifth in rushing yards.

[mm-video type=video id=01gf6j9xt9a9y5snj53b playlist_id=01fvdd1xkgcx6zr5s5 player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gf6j9xt9a9y5snj53b/01gf6j9xt9a9y5snj53b-09b9152b782c5c1d2bd55851aead1d23.jpg]

[listicle id=7220]

Will Shipley details ‘totally different’ offensive mindset, expectations for 2022

Will Shipley will be Clemson’s lead tailback this fall, and with the team back at practice on Friday, he and the offense are ready to rebound.

After Clemson held its first fall practice session of 2022, the Tigers’ starting running back spoke to the media and weighed in on the offense’s mentality heading into the season.

While Clemson’s entire offensive unit didn’t live up to expectations last season, Will Shipley was one of the bright spots for the Tigers, leading the team in rushing yards and touchdowns as a true freshman.

Shipley couldn’t fully participate in the spring because of a foot injury, but now fully healthy, he and the rest of the offense have a more driven and determined mindset than the group did in 2021.

“It’s totally different than last year,” Shipley said on Friday. “I feel like just the comradery and the chemistry; we’re just so much tighter as a group. Everybody is so locked in, and we all just have a common goal. You’re either helping that goal or hurting that goal, and everybody in that room wants to help it.”

As an offensive unit, Clemson was 100th in offensive yards per game in the FBS last season with 359.2, an output that contributed to some of the difficulties in winning games.

For Shipley, that disappointment for the offense has established a new appreciation for winning, a sentiment that head coach Dabo Swinney has also reiterated will benefit this team for years to come.

“We kind of had to reset, and coach Swinney has said it multiple times, but we got put in our perspective of not every win is going to come easy,” Shipley said. “We’ve got to respect every opponent, and we’ve got to appreciate every win. So I think that is really what it comes down to – nothing comes easy at a place like Clemson University. We’re one of the best programs in the country, so we’re going to get everybody’s best every single week. As an offense, we have to produce to help that defense out a little more than we did last year.”

Playing a role in that progression is first-year offensive coordinator Brandon Streeter, who is tweaking the offense to fit the team’s strengths.

“It’s a little bit more simple,” Shipley said. “Everyone can understand it a little better, but we’re moving faster, and it’s more efficient. We’re trying to up the tempo a little bit and get the ball in the ballplayers’ hands.”

Shipley is one of those offensive playmakers, as he had a team-high 739 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns last year.

Still, he emphasized his personal growth during the summer, “learning how to move on quicker” when making a mistake, as well as sharpening his receiving skills.

“As an elite athlete, I want my teammates to trust me. When my number is called, I’ve got to be ready to go regardless of what happened the previous play, and I’ve definitely improved in that sense.”

[mm-video type=video id=01g9qbtr0e1fnasryjpk playlist_id=01fvdd1xkgcx6zr5s5 player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g9qbtr0e1fnasryjpk/01g9qbtr0e1fnasryjpk-ac782d744ddfd67cc34305422fc1399a.jpg][listicle id=3624]